a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the industry of baby bottle caps that seal the nipple of the bottle. Presently, there are different types of nipple sealing devices. The designs range from using the cap itself to seal the nipple to using a mechanical means within the cap to seal the nipple. All the devices, however, permanently keep the nipple sealed while the cap is on the bottle.
b) Description of the Related Art
Presently there is a need for a device that can prevent the nipple of a baby bottle from becoming clogged during the mixing of powder baby formula. Quite often the nipple of a baby bottle is clogged with formula during the mixing of powder baby formula. The nipple must then be unclogged with one""s fingers resulting in the nipple becoming unsterilized. The present invention prevents the nipple from being clogged during mixing, thereby preventing the need to be unclogged and also keeping the nipple sterile. None of the prior art directly relates to solving these needs.
In order to accomplish the task of preventing the nipple from clogging during the mixing of powder baby formula, a seal must be created between the nipple and the bottle cavity. Most of the prior art simply does not accomplish this task (see for example: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,339,771, 3,468,445, and 5,704,500). The Pomales design (U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,191) does seal the nipple end from the bottle cavity. Unfortunately, this device has some drawbacks. First, it permanently maintains a seal on the nipple thereby shortening the life of the nipple. Second, the device involves complicated mechanical moving parts that increase the production costs and the likelihood of breakdown. Lastly, this device incorporates a mechanical spring action sealing means that it is operated from the top of a solid bottle cap.
The present invention fulfills the needs of the market concerns while at the same time overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. It is a simple yet ingenious design consisting merely of a flexible cap containing two plugs located within and at the base of the cap. Unlike the Pomales design, the plugs are simple in design thereby limiting production costs and limiting the potential for breakage. Also, unlike all of the prior art the present device contains a passive sealing system that is only operated when needed thereby extending the life of the nipple and the invention.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the need for preventing a baby bottle nipple from being clogged during the mixing of baby formula while at the same time keeping the nipple sterile. The device is comprised of three components, namely: a baby bottle cap and two plugs. The plugs are contained within the cap and are located at its base. The cap is made of a flexible material and can be fitted to any standard baby bottle with a snug-fit or can be adapted to be used with the particular connecting device of the bottle, such as a screw top.
Once the cap is placed on the bottle, the plugs line up with the nipple without touching it (the passive system). When needed, the cap can be squeezed by simply pushing the two plugs axially towards each other. The effect is to pinch and seal the nipple. The end of the nipple is thereby sealed from the body of the bottle. Consequently, the nipple can not become clogged during the mixing of the formula.
Accordingly, one object of this invention is to provide a nipple sealing device which prevents the nipple from being clogged during the mixing of baby formula.
Another object of this invention is to keep the nipple of the bottle sterile during the mixing of the baby formula.
A third object of this invention is a passive clamping system which need only crimp the nipple during the operation of the system thereby extending the life of the nipple and the invention.
A fourth object of this invention is that it is inexpensive to manufacture, rugged in design, durable and contains few moving parts thereby decreasing the likelihood of failure.
A fifth object of this invention is that is user friendly, easy to operate and can be operated with one hand.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.